ABSTRACT: PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM The Pilot Project Program is one of the key mechanisms by which the Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) enhances the environmental health identity and impact of the Center?s research base. The Overall Goal of the Pilot Project Program is to support novel investigations that advance environmental health science (EHS) research, and promote collaborative research by investigators across multiple disciplines. The GC-CPEH Pilot Project Program will strive to enhance the overall mission of the Center, and promote the goals of the NIEHS Strategic Plan by supporting high-risk, high-gain EHS research. The GC- CPEH Pilot Project Program has three Specific Aims that are designed to attain this goal by effectively supporting short-term projects that explore the feasibility of new avenues for research, respond to time-sensitive research opportunities, and generate preliminary data for acquisition of new research support from other funding mechanisms that will ultimately address important environmental health challenges. The Specific Aims of the Pilot Project Program are: Specific Aim 1: Foster collaborative interdisciplinary projects, enhance the environmental health identity with research relevant to the Thematic Focus Areas of the Center, increase visibility across the participating institutions and attract new members to the Center. Specific Aim 2: Enhance the potential for junior investigators to obtain external funding for EHS research through education, financial support and mentoring. Specific Aim 3: Support novel and ?high-risk, high-gain? exploratory research projects that will attract external grant support.